Hip Replacements, Anyone?

[Tom Winship]

It came as somewhat of a shock yesterday that I found that I need both hips replaced (eventually). Started having some knee pain around Christmas and took this long to chase it down. The ortho guy said they are easier than a knee.

Any of y'all out there have good positive stories about the procedure and recovery (Don't tell me the bad news stories, I'm a wimp).

Tom

[Eric DeSilva]

It came as somewhat of a shock yesterday that I found that I need both hips replaced (eventually). Started having some knee pain around Christmas and took this long to chase it down. The ortho guy said they are easier than a knee.

Any of y'all out there have good positive stories about the procedure and recovery (Don't tell me the bad news stories, I'm a wimp).

Tom

My dad had 'em both replaced. In both cases, they had him up and walking (with a walker) within 24 hours of the surgery. They have this procedure down pretty good--my Dad, at least, has no regrets.

[Robert McGowen]

They have to be easier than a knee, because I had a knee done about 14 months ago and it SUCKS!

I have a friend that had one hip done at the same time my knee was done. He had the other hip done a couple of months later. I saw him a while back JOGGING around the parking lot of Costco while his wife was shopping inside. I started to hit him with the car, but decided he had been in enough pain for a while....... I still have to pause and think about going down the stairs without tripping and killing myself.

Seriously, the younger and more active you are the worse it will be. I am under 50 and very active (knee was done because of an injury) and I still wake up in the morning and it is the first thing I think about. Whatever you do, go to all the physical therapy and work on your flexibility, because you won't be going anywhere fast without it.

Good luck!

[Sean Gallagher]

i'm an ortho guy. hips dont really need rehab. in fact a lot of docs dont even suggest physical therapy afterward.

[Tom Winship]

Thanks, guys. Sean, I'm 66 years old and am pretty active. Up until a year ago, I was walking 2 1/2 miles per day. Does 4-6 weeks sound about right on recovery?

[Jon Grider]

Hi Tom,
I had a full hip replacement 4 years ago at 51. I frequently hear SECOND hand accounts about someone's neighbors best friends aunt's hip replacement and she was running marathons in 6 weeks. Truth is, my surgeon warned me NOT to run. There are some movements to avoid and the bouncing and jarring of running is one of them. That said, the pain of bone on bone is now just a memory, and I feel much better overall now than before. I was back to work in a job that has me on my feet all day after seven weeks. There were times during the first couple years after surgery when the pain was substantial, in my case it came from where my femur was cut off and the tapered shaft of the replacement driven in. I think it took a while for the bone/shaft to fuse well. Overall, though, it was a blessing. The pain of hobbling around is thankfully gone.

[Larry Frank]

I had a total hip replacement about 14 years ago. It was titanium with a plastic socket and zirconia ball. It lasted about 7 years and for some reason my body ate the plastic and I had to have the ball and socket replaced with cobalt alloy ball and socket. So far that one is fine.

I will not lie to you and tell you that the surgery and recovery are fun but you can get through it. Personally, I wanted all of the physically therapy that I could get. It got things working better quickly and got me back to work faster. Please do be especially careful for the first six months and then be careful after that so that you do not twist it. One should listen to the doctor about things not to do. After they replaced it the second time, I dislocated the thing about 6 months later and I can tell you that was about as bad as it gets. But, it was my fault for not being careful as I was outside doing something. They told me that after the second replacement (revision they called it) you are more likely to dislocate it.

All in all, I have absolutely no regrets in doing it and the quality of life improved greatly.

[Doug Shepard]

I did a driveway slip-&-fall last Feb and was misdiagnosed for 3 weeks of absolute misery. Then they finally discovered i had broken my hip which by that time was pretty crunched up and need a total replacement. The surgery itself was pretty uneventful. Definitely put as much time in at rehab as you can. Once the rehab ended and i returned to work the healing slowed down. I can definitely forecast the weather with it since the cold set in this winter.

[Bob Rufener]

A very good friend of mine had a hip replaced two years ago. Worked out extremely well. Virtually no pain and was up and around very quickly. Rehab isn't nearly as long as for knee replacement. He had both knees replaced in early December and is doing very well with this procedure as well. Two docs worked on him and the operation took a wee bit more than an hour. Remarkable.

As was mentioned earlier, I think your quality of life will improve a great deal (except when you want to board a plane).

[Tom Winship]

A very good friend of mine had a hip replaced two years ago. Worked out extremely well. Virtually no pain and was up and around very quickly. Rehab isn't nearly as long as for knee replacement. He had both knees replaced in early December and is doing very well with this procedure as well. Two docs worked on him and the operation took a wee bit more than an hour. Remarkable.

As was mentioned earlier, I think your quality of life will improve a great deal (except when you want to board a plane).

I hope my plane boarding days are behind me. Used to be platinum frequent flyer. Haven't flown in about 4 years. Don't miss it. Thanks for the input all.

[Robert Parrish]

Tom, my 98 year old father had his hip replaced last Jan and he was up and around in 2-3 weeks. He did have some rehab.

[Bonnie Campbell]

Most doctors give you a letter stating if you've had a joint replaced so you can show that at security check points. My sister got one for her knee replacement.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Most doctors give you a letter stating if you've had a joint replaced so you can show that at security check points. My sister got one for her knee replacement.

Sorry to differ, but this is an urban myth: Hip replacement 5 years ago. 45+ round-trip flights per year. Before my operation, I stopped at TSA Supervisor's desk in Atlanta, asked about this type of document. "Sure, you can get one of those. Hang it on your wall, because anyone that lights up the alarm has to go through secondary screening, and presenting a piece of paper means nothing. We must be sure we know what caused the alarm to sound, and a letter doesn't help us do that. In fact, we don't even read them." Made sense to me.

In world's busiest airport -ATL - it adds an average of less than 5 minutes, but that TSA crew is the best in the country, day-in, day-out. In small, regional airports I am more likely to be delayed by up to 10 minutes (but even that is not the norm) - combination of less of a routine, and a higher tendency to find the occasional Napoleonic complex at screening.

Make life easy on yourself - shed everything that can cause an alarm - watch, belt, wallet - all of it - because when the hip sets off the alarm "that's my hip" won't help - the other stuff has to come off, go through the tunnel, and you often have to go back through the "wicket", and you cost yourself a lot of time right there.

No sympathy for travellers that can't get to the airport in plenty of time.

[Kent A Bathurst]

..Any of y'all out there have good positive stories about the procedure and recovery.........Tom

Absolute delight, in all honestly. I cannot describe how much better I felt, and have felt ever since for 5 yrs. Zero issues. I had one of the top guys in the SE - hip and knee replacements only. Someone chops you open, and sticks in some new parts, there's gonna be a bit of discomfort + pain, but that was very short-lived and manageable. In the hospital for 3 days after, then paroled. Walker for a few weeks, then crutches, then a cane. I wish I had done it much earlier, but there were also delays in correct diagnosis, and then I was only a couple monhs away from relocating to Atlanta. "No running" is the rule, but walking, bikes, swimming - all good stuff.

The REALLY COOL part - no general anesthetic for mine. A quart of valium to chill out, an epidural, in recovery 60 minutes later. I could hear the drill and saw and hammer, and could sense the vibrations in the table. They wouldn't let me watch, but I still had a blast. They couldn't understand why I was chuckling.

The only down side - I had my heart set on making a modern version of my own reliquary for the mantle, but they absolutely would not let me take the OEM parts home. I was even negotiating with the head OR nurse while I was on the table, til the surgeon told me "enough, already - it's showtime." Siiigh.

[Robert McGowen]

In world's busiest airport -ATL - it adds an average of less than 5 minutes, but that TSA crew is the best in the country, day-in, day-out. In small, regional airports I am more likely to be delayed by up to 10 minutes (but even that is not the norm) - combination of less of a routine, and a higher tendency to find the occasional Napoleonic complex at screening.

I have flown several times since a knee replacement last year. I actually found that sometimes it is much faster going through security because of my knee (or lack of one!). In Las Vegas, they actually have a "handicap" line. Security said that it was for people with a physical handicap or those that would set off the metal detectors because of implants. The wait was over an hour to get through the regular security line, but only about 10 minutes through the handicap line. All the people in your party get to go through with you also. My son said that he was going to take me with him every time he travels because I make things so convenient for him.